| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | C. J. van Houten I. van Houten G. T. Gehrels |
| Discovery site | Palomar Obs. |
| Discovery date | 24 September 1960 |
| Designations | |
| (3047) Goethe | |
Named after | Johann Wolfgang von Goethe(German poet)[1] |
| 6091 P-L · 1969 UG 1976 JU6 · 1982 VO | |
| main-belt[1][2] · (middle) background[3] | |
| Orbital characteristics[2] | |
| Epoch 23 March 2018 (JD 2458200.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 57.34yr (20,943 d) |
| Aphelion | 2.7144AU |
| Perihelion | 2.5698 AU |
| 2.6421 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.0274 |
| 4.29 yr (1,569 d) | |
| 103.04° | |
| 0° 13m 46.2s / day | |
| Inclination | 1.6105° |
| 317.26° | |
| 78.267° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| 5.846±0.117 km[4] | |
| 0.362±0.052[4] | |
| 12.9[2] | |
3047 Goethe, provisional designation6091 P-L, is a bright backgroundasteroid from the central regions of theasteroid belt, approximately 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 24 September 1960, by Dutch astronomer coupleIngrid andCornelis van Houten on photographic plates taken by Dutch–American astronomerTom Gehrels at thePalomar Observatory in California, United States.[1] The asteroid was named after German poetJohann Wolfgang von Goethe.[1]
Goethe is a non-family asteroid of the main belt'sbackground population.[3] It orbits the Sun in thecentral asteroid belt at a distance of 2.6–2.7 AU once every 4 years and 3 months (1,569 days;semi-major axis of 2.64 AU). Its orbit has a loweccentricity of 0.03 and a lowinclination of 2° with respect to theecliptic.[2] The body'sobservation arc begins with its official discovery observation at Palomar in September 1960.[1] In May 2156, it will pass at 7,440,000 km (0.0497 AU) from the asteroid29 Amphitrite at a relative velocity of 1.66 km/s.[2]
According to the survey carried out by theNEOWISE mission of NASA'sWide-field Infrared Survey Explorer,Goethe measures 5.846 kilometers in diameter and its surface has a notably highalbedo of 0.362.[4] As of 2018, no rotationallightcurve ofGoethe has been obtained fromphotometric observations. The body'srotation period,pole and shape remain unknown.[2]
Thesurvey designation "P-L" stands forPalomar–Leiden, named after Palomar Observatory andLeiden Observatory, which collaborated on the fruitfulPalomar–Leiden survey in the 1960s. Gehrels used Palomar'sSamuel Oschin telescope (also known as the 48-inch Schmidt Telescope), and shipped thephotographic plates to Ingrid and Cornelis van Houten at Leiden Observatory whereastrometry was carried out. The trio are credited with the discovery ofseveral thousand asteroid discoveries.[5]
Thisminor planet was named after German poet and playwrightJohann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832).[1] The official naming citation was published by theMinor Planet Center on 29 September 1985 (M.P.C. 10045).[6] TheGoethe Basin on Mercury was also named in his honor.[7]
